S.C. student group climbs highest mountain in Eastern U.S.
June 23, 2015
Global Eco Adventures leads expedition
CAMDEN, SC – Members of the S.C.-based GEA ADVENTURE CLUB hiked to the summit of N.C.’s Mt. Mitchell – at 6,684 feet, the highest summit on the east coast of the U.S. – in the culminating event of a five-month course which led students on exploratory expeditions throughout S.C.
“This was a key proving exercise; part of a team effort aimed at quashing childhood obesity, eradicating destructive sedentary habits, and creating new and exciting – even self-esteem building – lifestyle changes,” says Global Eco Adventures founder and pres. Tom Mullikin, who is also pres. and founding partner of the Mullikin Law Firm. “Mt. Mitchell is said to be one of the toughest continuous-climbs in the region. But all of our participating ‘Adventurers’ succeeded in reaching the top.”
Among the six GEA Adventure Club Students were S.C.’s Bryce Kiser, Chloe Kiser, Jaxon Casey, Dru Montgomery, Anna Trapp, Logan Boone. Additional hikers included three GEA staff members, including Mullikin, his son Thomas Mullikin Jr., and brother Cam Mullikin. Another 10 parents and friends of the students also joined the group.
Following an overnight stay at Cabin Creek Lodge in Montreat, N.C., the group set-out on Sat. morning, May 29, at the trailhead leading from the Black Mountain Campground in Burnsville, N.C.
The fastest time from the trailhead to the summit was 4.5 hours. The slowest was approximately 6.5 hours. Lunch and an awards ceremony followed.
Several S.C.-based companies, organizations, and agencies have supported the GEA Adventure Club over the previous five months, in the first of what GEA is looking to be a sweeping effort to eradicate childhood obesity in the Palmetto State.
The GEA ADVENTURE CLUB – officially GEA’s Childhood Fitness through Environmental Training – is a program providing academic and applied knowledge of outdoor activities to 24 adolescents (grades nine–12), inspiring in them a passion for the environment and – as a result – reshaping the priorities of the children, their families, and the broader community through awareness.
Sponsors have included the Congaree National Park, Sesquicentennial State Park, the Richland County Sheriff’s Dept., the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, the Special Forces Association (S.C. Chapter), Kershaw County School District, The Backpacker, Wade Culler Roofing, East Coast SpecialTees and the Mullikin Law Firm.
GEA’s ADVENTURE CLUB held its first meeting mid-Jan., kicking off the day with a period of classroom instruction at the Mullikin Law Firm complex in Camden followed by the club’s inaugural hike at Lake Wateree State Park.
Weekly hikes have followed as have monthly excursions into the wooded areas of S.C.’s State Parks, as well as a hike in the Congaree National Park where students experienced first-hand wild-hogs, snakes, and all manner of birds.
Selected from among S.C. Middle Schools, members of the GEA ADVENTURE CLUB enjoyed monthly classroom sessions on everything from exercise and the environment to nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices; confidence building, physical strength and stamina development.
GEA is seeking sponsors in this effort for 2016.
Global Eco Adventures (GEA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Visit GEA at http://globalecoadventures.org.
[For additional information, please contact Cam Mullikin at 803-425-7771]
